In this dissertation I use data from 19 archaeological surveys in central Tyrrhenian Italy to understand how craft and commodity production were organized across landscapes, what factors contributed to rural site longevity, and how rural sites interacted with market centers. The surveyed sites spanned the second century BC to fourth century AD. Most survey areas centered on towns or small cities, but several were within Rome's vast suburbium or adjacent to key trade corridors, such as the Tiber River and consular roads. To enable the comparison of more than 3000 rural sites considered in this study, I standardized published survey data into a relational database and analyzed site types, sizes, locations, and finds statistically as well as via Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools. Site types included constructions (e.g., aqueducts, roads) and settlements (towns, farms, connected farms). The latter two are the most common; they differ in that connected farms had more resources and better access to road networks. Production evidence for various industries (e.g., ceramic, metal, and textile) appear at both farms and connected farms, contradicting traditional views that such activities were confined to large establishments. Many rural sites were located in areas with workable and nutritious soils, and with maximum annual sun exposure. Nevertheless, advantageous location was no guarantee of longevity. Instead, the most consistent factor in rural site longevity was easy access to trade and transport networks. From the first century AD, inhabitants of sites with market connections within a 20-kilometer radius declined in prosperity or abandoned their homes, while those linked to more distant networks were able to maintain, or even expand, their territories. Wide access for buying and selling goods helped sites endure over time. This investigation demonstrates that market networks trumped site resources as the key factor in site longevity. By incorporating the types and patterns of finds, and mapping sites in relation to resources and roads, archaeological survey can help chart the ebb and flow of rural production and assess the relationship of that production to site durability.

Using census information, we verified that quebrada del Toro’s population diminished 35% between 1980 and 2001. In Rosario de Lerma Department, the rural population was 75% in 1947 and 25% in 2001. Considering urban inhabitants, that percentage was exactly the opposite. The weak productive structure and the isolation promote the emigration. On the other hand, the Indian claims for lands, show that not everybody wants to leave. So, it is necessary the implementation of development projects, using the renewable natural resources in a sustainable way, within viable economic and social objectives. / A través de información censal, verificamos que la población de la quebrada del Toro disminuyó el 35% entre 1980 y 2001. En el departamento Rosario de Lerma, la población rural paso de representar el 75% del total en 1947 al 25% en 2001, ocurriendo lo inverso con la población urbana. La estructura productiva precaria y el aislamiento, promueven la emigración. Los reclamos indígenas por la propiedad de la tierra indican que no todos quieren emigrar. Por lo tanto es necesario, implementar proyectos de desarrollo que contemplen el uso sostenible de los recursos naturales, dentro de objetivos económicos y sociales viables.

[pt] Esta dissertação visa contribuir entre múltiplas leituras geográficas sobre a Região Metropolitana de Manaus (RMM), em meio a delimitação para essa pesquisa, a presente dissertação tem como objeto a realização da política de alimentação escolar na distribuição e circulação do Programa de Regionalização da Merenda Escolar (Preme). Propõe-se assim, a partir da identificação na área de estudo, os municípios de Itacoatiara e Manacapuru compreender o Preme, enquanto política pública de alimentação escolar, que capta tanto a produção agrícola local de alimento quanto o hábito alimentar de estudantes em escolas públicas. Desse modo, essa pesquisa qualitativa tem como objetivo geral analisar a distribuição e circulação do Preme, uma política de alimentação escolar em Itacoatiara e Manacapuru, municípios da Região Metropolitana de Manaus. E os objetivos específicos são: 1. Analisar o Preme, enquanto uma política pública de Alimentação Escolar; 2. Caracterizar o Preme nos municípios de Itacoatiara e Manacapuru; 3. Analisar a distribuição e circulação, a partir das estruturas do Preme nos municípios de Itacoatiara e Manacapuru, inseridos na RMM. Com levantamentos de dados primários por meio de trabalho de campo e entrevistas. / [en] This dissertation aims to contribute between multiple geographic readings about the Metropolitan Region of Manaus (RMM), amid the delimitation for this research, this dissertation aims to carry out the school feeding policy in the distribution and circulation of the School Meal Regionalization Program (Preme). Thus, based on the identification in the study area, the municipalities of Itacoatiara and Manacapuru are proposed to understand Preme, as a public policy for school feeding, which captures both the local agricultural production of food and the eating habits of students in public schools. Thus, this qualitative research aims to analyze the distribution and circulation of Preme, a school feeding policy in Itacoatiara and Manacapuru, municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of Manaus. And the specific objectives are: 1. To analyze Preme as a public policy for School Feeding; 2. Characterize Preme in the municipalities of Itacoatiara and Manacapuru; 3. Analyze the distribution and circulation, from the structures of Preme in the municipalities of Itacoatiara and Manacapuru, inserted in the RMM. With primary data surveys through field work and interviews.